Kabul to Vow its Stance about Peace Talks with Taliban as Trump Calls it Off

Afghan Government will soon announce its position regarding recent developments in peace process with Taliban after US President Donald Trump canceled the negotiations.

Afghan Government will soon announce its position regarding recent developments in peace process with Taliban after US President Donald Trump canceled the negotiations. US President Trump canceled a secret meeting with Taliban leaders and a separate meeting with M. Ashraf Ghani at Camp David, and called off negotiations with Taliban as well. “They (Taliban) admitted to an attack in Kabul that killed one of our great great soldiers, and 11 other people. I immediately cancelled the meeting and called off peace negotiations,” Twitted Trump Late Saturday, adding that Taliban “probably don’t have the power to negotiate a meaningful agreement anyway”.

Meanwhile, Afghan presidential spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said that the government will soon declare it position regarding the peace talks with Taliban.
“The Afghan government will soon announce its official stance about recent developments in the peace talks with Taliban,” he said.

This comes as US special envoy on Afghan peace process Zalmay Khalilzad had said on Monday that the deal with Taliban was finalized in principle and only need Trump’s approval.
Under the draft deal, the U.S. would shut down five military bases and remove 5,400 soldiers from Afghanistan within five months.
U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Saturday that while it was seeking a political agreement with the Taliban, Washington would not accept just any deal after a wave of violence cast a shadow over its talks with the insurgent group.
“The United States’ view is that the best way forward is a political agreement and that (is what) we’re working diligently on right now, that doesn’t mean we’ll take any deal,” Esper said during a press conference in Paris with his French counterpart.

Meanwhile, the US Congress has also expressed concerns over the past few days, calling on Zalmay Khalilzad to brief the House Foreign Affairs Committee about recent agreements with Taliban.

Although Mr Trump said on Twitter that the Taliban’s confession of killing an American soldier in Kabul had prompted him to cancel the talks, it is unclear whether there was a link between the cancellation of Ashraf Ghani’s visit to Washington and Mr Trump’s decision or whether the two leaders had previously consulted about Trump’s decision about Saturday’s Tweets.

After peace talks between the US and Taliban negotiators stopped by president Trump, the Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson said in a statement that Moscow hopes these talks will resume as soon as possible

Ashraf Ghani’s planned trip to America has been postponed due to his opposition with the text of the Afghanistan – US joint declaration regarding the peace process and the deal with the Taliban, sources